World Bird Sanctuary
@WBSSTL
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Get the inside scoop with World Bird Sanctuary
St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Joined May 2009
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IT’S HAPPENING!!!
Bald Eaglet 23-126 was let out of the baby jail for a full introduction to Murphy yesterday and so far things are going very well! A staff member watched initial interactions through a peep hole to make sure the eaglet was safe. It took Murphy an hour before he
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Our youngest Barred Owl baby is the most vocal of our babies. This sound is a food begging noise. This baby is only a few days old and the eyes are still closed. Food calling starts whenever they hear noise or movement that may indicate something that can feed them is nearby.
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Murphy does not need a real egg to feel accomplished!!He’s quite content with his rock, and VERY protective of it! After his spring hormones have run their course, he will get bored and move on to other activities. Poor rock.
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Murphy and his new charge are bonding beautifully.
In these videos, if you watch carefully, you can see Murphy waiting for the baby to eat. When the baby doesn’t eat right away, he takes a bit of food, & then the baby begins to eat. This is the kind of bonding we’re looking for
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It’s just too much for the heart to handle. The fact that the chick’s face is blurry is incredibly endearing.
All the funds made on this fundraiser will go right into that blurry beak, and the one feeding it!
Type RockBaby in the comments of the donation!
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Wow everyone! We are absolutely blown away by the support being shown for Murphy and eaglet 23-126 through our fundraiser and Amazon baby registry. We wanted to take a moment to address the topic of camera footage of these two.
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Here’s the Murphy update you’ve all been waiting for…
Murphy will be given a chance this week to bond with the eaglet we received last week.
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23-126 is not yet old enough to tear food which means MURPHY FED THE BABY!!!!
The enclosure has been rearranged to make sure that baby can access the spot where the food will come through the blind drop tube, but we are absolutely thrilled that Murphy has chosen to feed!
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Does this behavior look familiar to you? Murphy has transferred his protection of RockBaby to the eaglet.
So far, so good, but the real test is coming soon!
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We recently acquired new wool for Sofia! Since it was fresh from the sheep, we washed it before giving it to her to ensure it was free from potential parasites and chemicals. She took her freshly laundered wool straight out of her nest box and over to the grass to play with it.
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McGwire heard that Murphy became famous for incubating a rock. McGwire would like you to know that he is just as good at incubating and nest building as he tries to incubate one of his enrichment cups on a newspaper nest.
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Eaglet 23-126 is doing quite fine, as you can see here! Still begging for more food after gobbling down their morning meal!
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Sofia, the Bearded Vulture, is patrolling her aviary in search of the perfect pieces of grass to add to her nest alongside the wool she got a couple weeks ago!
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approached 23-126 and examined with curiosity.
Murphy didn’t get much of a chance to feed 23-126 as they had already stuffed themselves full with the entire pile of chopped food that had been dropped for them. That still didn’t stop 23-126 from doing a bit of food begging at
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Murphy/RockBaby/Eaglet
THE TIMELINE
Thank you for following our story so far!
Remember you can support this sweet pair and their 200 bird friends at The Sanctuary by hitting that green DONATE button on our website home page!
See comment for TIMELINE
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All birds at WBS are safe after tornadoes, flash flooding, and severe thunderstorms hit our area last night, though Bald Eaglet 23-126 gave us quite a scare.
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MURPHY’S LAW
Don’t let them steal your dreams
A ROCK can be an EGG
If you believe it so.
And if you persevere…
It MIGHT just become a CHICK.
A dedicated dad
Can perform miracles
With great devotion,
A little help from his friends,
…and a dash of magic.
BELIEVE
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Meanwhile, while Murphy is still figuring out this first time parenting thing, superstar Sayyida is doing a great job with her babies. Sayyida immediately went over to preen her new babies when introduced and does a great job feeding them and keeping them warm.
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food begging at Murphy but it was fairly halfhearted.
This morning, Murphy got his chance to be a full parent as 23-126 left the nest to go be closer to Murphy. The food is being dropped through a blind drop tube into the nest and baby appears unable to be able to get over the
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Look at this beautiful photo of our Murphy by photographer Gary Cochard! Stunning!
We’ve welcomed many new followers, so I’d like to recap a few things:
We will supply updates on at least a daily basis. We know you’re all invested in this story, and we LOVE that you are!
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We know everyone is very excited about Murphy and his charge and wants more and more photos and video of them, however, our first goal is to disturb them as little as possible.
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Here’s a little more video of two of your favorite eagles.
Just a lazy spring day.
Our little eaglet is growing fast, mostly eating and sleeping, & still very floppy. Murphy continues to watch over, and is very curious & attentive if the baby makes any moves.
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Murphy says thank you for all the wonderful gifts you’ve sent to WBS!
Everyone who has sent/will send a gift, donation, or has/will buy a shirt by May 12 will be placed in a drawing to win a VERY special prize….
You will get to name our new education barn owl!! Pics to follow!
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Dynasty “helped” our staff a bit with some gardening today, but then saw a shiny thing with one of his favorite keepers behind it!
Dynasty is a 33 years old, Egyptian vulture. WBS has the largest collection of Egyptian vultures in the country. Our goal is to breed & release!
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Barred Owl 23-556 is not eating on her own as she recovers from a femur fracture, so we are hand-feeding her to provide the needed nutrition.
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It was a longer road than we had hoped for Bald Eagle 23-450, who sustained a severe fracture to her left metacarpus (outer portion of her wing) in a vehicle collision. Her treatment was complicated by lead poisoning and feather damage but she is now flying free again!
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Meanwhile, little eaglet is growing fast!
23-126 is just 18-21 days old at this point, and just beginning to be able the regulate their own body temperature.
This bird is insatiable.
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Murphy is back home on Avian Avenue! With his fostering duties done for the year, Murphy returned to his regular aviary in a special Father's Day celebration. We want to thank Murphy for his service and applaud his outstanding job in raising 23-126. Happy Father's Day Murphy!
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See a complete, up-to-date synopsis of the Murphy, RockBaby, eaglet story on our Facebook page this morning. It’s too long to share here!
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Hinkley, the turkey vulture, took advantage of the recent warm weather to start her nest. While she usually lays eggs, this year it looks like she has decided to foster two rubber ducks and a ball. We wish her and her mate, Attila, the best of luck with their new family!
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Here’s a goodnight message from Alejandro, our harpy eagle.
We’re not sure what the message is, but he’s not screaming, so we’ll call it a win.
Video by Cheryl Circo
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to get back into the nest to get the chopped food. When we checked back, we found that baby was still out of the nest and all the chopped food was still in the nest. However, Murphy’s whole fish had been removed from the nest and baby had a full crop. 23-126 is not yet old enough
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American kestrels need to be able to lock their focus and head. Imagine sitting on a branch or power line, trying to track a mouse on the ground! If your eyeballs were bouncing around with that moving perch, you’d never be able to follow enough to pounce and eat that agile mouse
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One of our keepers was trying to rake up some leaves in the Bald Eagle aviary. Lewis thought the pile was for him and had fun playing in it.
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The case of the amazing shrinking owl!
Birds can adjust the position of their feathers, and this is one of the best ways to understand what a bird is thinking. Trevor became alert when he saw one of his favorite trainers.
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We're getting excited for Sunday at 11am when Murphy rejoins his roommates on Avian Avenue after a job well done as a first-time foster dad! We will work on getting photos and videos to share with you!
Eaglet 126 is off to flight school and we are making plans for his release!
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Dorothy thoroughly enjoyed the warm weather today and took a BIG bath. Just look at this big soggy chicken!
This condor is living the life.
Dorothy is an 18 year old Andean condor who was hatched and raised at WBS as part of a breeding program in the early 2000s.
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Another family photo of Murphy and 23-126 sitting on the platform together. We also thought we'd share a view of what they are looking at when they look out from that platform. 3 of the 4 walls look out into the Missouri woods
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Meet Lewis, one of Murphy's aviary mates! Lewis is most well known for being the bald eagle that flew for the St. Louis Cardinals. Lewis retired recently due to arthritis in one of his wings. He is enjoying retirement and loves to lay in the grass of his aviary.
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Another lazy day at the House of Murphy, complete with a big eaglet yawn!
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Murphy and 23-126 get settled in for the evening. Little eaglet preens themselves. Murphy keeps a watchful eye on the sky from his platform, gives a big stretch, and vocalizes.
Goodnight from MurphyLand! 😴🌕🦅
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You can now “Adopt” Murphy as your very own!
The symbolic adoption program at World Bird Sanctuary helps to provide food and care for your favorite feathered friends.
$29 - $129
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Very quietly and inconspicuously, one of our bald eagles, Murphy (male) has built an extremely simple nest on the ground and is incubating his single “egg” very carefully and attentively.
We wish Murphy all the luck in the world, but we have yet to see a rock hatch. 🥹
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One of Murphy's favorite pastimes is taking baths, especially as it is being filled.
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The majority or our ambassadors are physically disabled. They have their aviaries tailored to meet their individual needs. Poe is using the stairs her keepers made for her to take her food up to her favorite perch. Poe had limited mobility due to her arthritis.
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87 degrees today in the St. Louis area, and our chick was a little sweaty. You can see the eaglet panting a bit here. Fortunately this didn’t last long and they were soon comfortable once again.
Meanwhile, Murphy was curious about the screaming blue jays above.
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Step 1 will be placing the chick in Murphy’s enclosure during the day (w/a warmer) within the small cage shown by Kylee, so we can see how Murphy reacts to the chick without having full access - just in case the reaction is negative.
We affectionately call this the Baby Jail! 😆
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23-126 watches Murphy eat, and then watches as he goes to get a drink.
These are all learning experiences for our little eaglet! Murphy is doing a great job being a role model. Don’t you think?
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Another lazy day at the House of Murphy, complete with a big eaglet yawn!
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Gracie, the golden eagle, is showing off a wonderful bird rouse. A "rouse" is when a bird raises their feathers away from their body and shakes them all out.
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First your baby takes your food, then he interrupts your bath time, and now he's mobile enough to take your favorite spot?! Murphy is probably wondering what outrage he'll be victim to next. Murphy is still taking it all well and is very tolerant of his baby.
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We will not be able to give you constant photo updates since we don’t want to disturb the process at all.
Keep your talons crossed!
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Murphy enters the nest to get food. Watch how carefully he chooses to enter, taking care not to step on or injure 23-126.
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For this gloomy day in St. Louis, we present you with a flash of sunshine!
Penelope coming at you!
Penelope is a 13 year old scarlet macaw and is training to show off in education programs as an ambassador for our mission. A well cared for scarlet can live up to 75-90 years.
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Solo, the peregrine falcon, LOVES bath time. Birds prefer to bathe in shallow water that is easy to stand in. From there, it is all about wetting their feathers one section at a time. Lots of butt dunks, wing dips, and shaking all around.
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After an incredible journey, 23-126 was released back to the wild earlier today! Thank you to all who attended, tuned into our live stream, or have supported our mission and followed 23-126's journey.
Photo Credit Stu Goz
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Barred Owl 23-556 is bright and alert, standing on her perch. Every morning, she indicates she is not happy to see us by vocalizing for morning check. She is still recovering from injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle.
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Barred Owl 23-141’s fractures continue to heal well. We were able to pull the surgical pin out after just 1 week and remove their wrap. This is due to how much faster babies heal than adults.
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Drama in the nest! 23-126 has fallen asleep after eating their fill but Murphy wants a piece of food that 23-126 is sleeping on! Murphy gives 23-126 a gentle nip on the wing to try and get them to move. 23-126 gets excited and starts nipping at Murphy in hopes of getting fed.
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The continuing saga of “Days of our Lives - WBS Bald Eagle Aviary Edition” reaches a boiling point.
Our beloved Murphy the eagle has begun to cause a BIT too much drama with his over exuberant protection of his nest and rock-baby in the 90,000+ cubic square foot eagle aviary
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Well, it seems Murphy knew better than us all along…that wasn’t a ROCK at all!!
We have a new family member at World Bird Sanctuary!
We’re not quite sure how to care for this one, and it seems it might eat a lot as it grows.
We’ll never doubt Murphy again!
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Since we’ve been talking a lot about the eaglet’s crop, I thought I’d reshare this post from awhile ago.
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Murphy is just popping in to wish you a happy Saturday! Murphy and his aviary mates Lewis, Siouxie, Boston, and Mitch are all doing well and are enjoying the beautiful fall weather.
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Another bird that had fun in last weekend's snow was Inca, the Andean condor. She really enjoyed checking out the snowman that the staff made for her.
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Murphy and our bald eaglet guest are working on bonding during the day, and then the eaglet comes into the hospital for the evening for warmth and food - 250 g a day!
You can help us and Murphy by donating towards the eaglet’s care here:
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Good Morning All!
Today I’m sharing the timeline of our eaglet’s remaining development with you. I hope this helps answer many of your questions! I’ll start with some frequently asked questions:
Donate:
Wish List:
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Baby Season Is Officially Over! This week, we celebrate the release of the last of our babies for the year! Baby season began 3/13 with the arrival of the first Great Horned Owl baby, patient 23-096. Since then, our hospital has provided care for 190 injured and orphaned babies.
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Murphy cleans his feet and beak after finishing his meal while 23-126 watches. This is one of the important behaviors that 23-126 will learn by having an adult to watch.
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Baby Parade!
The great horned owl babies are getting too big for their indoor space and moved to an outdoor mew along with their foster parent, 23-571. They will stay on the big platform until they are ready to branch out and start exploring.
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Have you ever been excited to give your pet a new toy, only to find that they are more excited by the box it came in? Our ambassadors sometimes do the same. Cash, the Black Vulture, decided to explore the empty bucket a keeper brought in to help clean his aviary.
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Meet two of our newest patients, Great Horned Owls 23-153 and 23-154. These two are likely the result of a second nesting attempt. When eggs fail to hatch, or if something happens to the chicks in the early stages
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Baby season is well underway and our hospital is filling up with babies that have been unable to be reunited with their wild families due to injury. 7 baby Great Horned Owls are in with our new foster parent as they recover from their injuries.
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Woo Hoo! Go Murphy!
At World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, Mo., the plight of Murphy, a bald eagle who was reduced to incubating a rock, aroused social media sympathy, until an orphaned eaglet was brought to the sanctuary for care, and the two have hit it off.
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Poe is just popping by to say "Hi!" You can say hi to Poe in person until 10/10. She will then move to a climate-controlled habitat behind the scenes for the winter for her arthritis. We are open daily from 8am-5pm for you say hi to Poe and your other favorites!
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Please watch for turtles like this box turtle on the road.
Help them cross safely if you can, and always help them across in the direction they were headed.
There’s a reason they were going that way!
Video: Kerstin Orgill
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Sayyida is back on foster duty for the year and tending to 4 chicks. She doesn't always feed them enough so we help with supplemental feedings. Feeding time is a lot scarier with Sayyida standing guard. The smallest baby is the vocal baby from our food begging video!
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Bald Eagles love their bath time. One of our keepers captured this video of Lewis thoroughly enjoying his pool. You can visit Lewis on Avian Avenue when you come to WBS.
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We just finished releasing the last of our baby Barred Owls for the year! Shown here is the release of one of those babies, 23-141, who came in with fractures to their humerus, radius, and ulna and is the youngest patient to ever undergo surgery at our hospital!
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Our smallest patient had surgery today. Barred owl 23-141 is just a couple days old and was admitted to our hospital yesterday after their nest tree fell down. All 3 siblings were killed in the fall and 23-141 sustained fractures to their left humerus, radius, and ulna.
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Raptors sleep standing up, but they can get so comfortable during the day that they just melt. We affectionately call this position "boating." If a raptor is boating they feel comfortable and safe. If you see one of our birds boating, they are as relaxed as a bird can be!
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Picture Perfect!
Lewis, the bald eagle, is being especially photogenic this fall. The perfect lighting. The poolside picture. The most handsome eagle in town. You can also see this beautiful boy on Avian Avenue with his four roommates: Murphy, Boston, Mitch, and Siouxie.
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Barred Owl 23-141 is doing well after their surgery earlier this week!
The humerus fracture that was pinned so far appears to be healing and growing normally. (That’s blood from its most recent meal btw!)
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Kira has edited out enough videos from our trail camera to give you a full day of Murphy and 23-126 tomorrow!!
23-126 started eating as soon as food came through the blind drop tube. The eaglet is busy chowing down as Murphy approaches to investigate.
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Now is the perfect time of year to check that your chimney caps are in place! Barred Owls and other cavity nesting species are entering their breeding season and are looking for nest sites. We have already rescued 5 Barred Owls from chimneys in the past month.
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Poe, our Common Raven, is enjoying stabbing some newspaper. Poe recently moved to a climate-controlled behind-the-scenes area for the winter due to her arthritis, but we still have several corvids you can visit on Avian Avenue!
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July 2020: BROWNSVILLE, TX – U.S. Border Patrol announced Monday that they seized an exotic bird (in a plastic bag) while taking a group of people illegally smuggled across the board into custody.
(See photo in comments)
And that’s how Zuko entered our lives.
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Aesop, the American crow, came to our Raptor Hospital as a juvenile in 2011. She was found following a mail carrier and begging for food. Once at our hospital, Aesop was determined to be a human imprint. Since Aesop cannot survive on her own, she educates the public at WBS.
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This current Murphy shirt has been updated & the white background has been dropped out!
Arleana Holtzmann’s design coming soon!
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Here are our two “new” Andean condors. The male (right) was actually hatched and raised at World Bird Sanctuary, and has returned home. He’s Dorothy’s sibling! The female is new to us.
We are building a group of Andeans so we can once again breed and release back to the wild.
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Murphy, his rock, and his eaglet are featured in the April issue of the National Geographic Kids magazine! Be sure to pick up your copy when it comes out.
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Naturalist Cheryl Circo received some much needed help from our bearded vulture, Sofia, while she was changing her water.
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